{"id":20518,"date":"2025-10-22T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umang.pk\/2025\/10\/22\/all-the-flavor-without-the-waste-max-la-mannas-comfort-food-pantry-recipes-fall-food-and-drinks\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T05:00:00","slug":"all-the-flavor-without-the-waste-max-la-mannas-comfort-food-pantry-recipes-fall-food-and-drinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/umang.pk\/en_us\/2025\/10\/22\/all-the-flavor-without-the-waste-max-la-mannas-comfort-food-pantry-recipes-fall-food-and-drinks\/","title":{"rendered":"All the Flavor Without the Waste: Max La Manna’s Comfort Food Pantry Recipes | fall food and drinks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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aspirate<\/span>Eating with little or no waste isn’t about rules. It’s about rethinking old habits. Make a list of the foods you already have (I like to take pictures of my fridge and pantry before shopping), stick to the list and only buy what you need. Just remember to store them properly to ensure they last a long time, and cook them with a little curiosity. Whether it’s the pliable carrots, the rice you ate yesterday, or the broccoli stalks you normally throw in the trash, they all have potential. Start small and trust me. You’ll quickly become a success, saving money, time, and food from the bin. For me, minimal-waste cooking is liberating, not restrictive. It turns what you already have into something you actually want. In other words, it’s a delicious meal that’s good for you and the planet.<\/p>\n

Crispy Rice with Peanut-Pepper Crunch<\/h2>\n

Leftover rice is never boring. It’s an opportunity. Cold, lumpy rice is pressed into a hot pan until it turns into a golden crust. Then I chop them up and toss them in my favorite peanut-tamari-chili dressing. If you have some cucumbers, green onions, or mint left in the fridge, add a little more for crunch, warmth, and freshness all in one bowl. Proof that the best meals often come from the food you already have in your fridge.<\/p>\n

prep 10 minutes<\/strong>
cook 15 minutes<\/strong>
serve 4<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 tablespoons neutral oil
400g leftover rice<\/strong> <\/strong>(Cold from the refrigerator is best)
60g roasted peanuts, <\/strong>Plus, what else can we offer?
2 tablespoons tamari<\/strong>or soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar<\/strong>or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup<\/strong>
1 <\/strong>red pepper<\/strong>Remove the stems, pith and seeds, finely chop the flesh and serve with \u00bd teaspoon dried red pepper flakes.
4 spring onions<\/strong>Slice into thin slices, separating the greens and whites.
\u00bd cucumber<\/strong>Slice it thinly into half-moon shapes.
1 small handful of mint leaves<\/strong>shredding, finishing<\/p>\n

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat, then add the cold rice and press it with the back of a spatula to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook until golden and crispy on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Lightly crush the peanuts in a mortar, then stir in the tamari, vinegar, maple syrup, chili, and green onion whites.<\/p>\n

Break the glutinous rice into large pieces, pour the dressing, mix until well coated, and then turn off the heat.<\/p>\n

Fold in the cucumbers and green onions, then sprinkle with mint and extra peppers or peanuts and serve warm.<\/p>\n

Roasted broccoli and white beans on toast<\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>Max Le Manna’s Roasted Broccoli and White Beans on Toast.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I love recipes that use all the ingredients: stems, florets, etc. It often goes to waste, but here the broccoli gets a nice char and then falls over garlicky white beans mashed with lemon. Pile it high on toast, top it off with pickled red onions, and suddenly you have the simplest leftovers for lunch. The salt water from the pickled onions becomes a golden seasoning, so try adding a spoonful of lemon juice to the bean smash. To make your own pickled red onions, slice the red onions and place them in a small jar. Add 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt and close the lid. Gently shake and marinate in pickles until serving.<\/p>\n

prep 10 minutes<\/strong>
cook 10 minutes<\/strong>
serve 4
<\/strong>
olive oil<\/strong>
2 <\/strong>garlic cloves<\/strong>, <\/strong>Peel and chop finely.
400g tin cannellini beans<\/strong>Drain and rinse
Zest and juice of 1 lemon<\/strong>, <\/strong>And add extra juice for serving.
sea \u200b\u200bsalt and pepper
4 thick slices of sourdough<\/strong> (Old is also ok)
250g cooked broccoli<\/strong>Stems and florets, roughly chopped
Store-bought or homemade<\/strong> pickled red onions <\/strong>(See recipe introduction)<\/p>\n

Heat oven grill to 150C\/300F. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and the garlic in a small pan, then add the beans, lemon zest, juice and a little water. Mash until thick and season with salt and pepper.<\/p>\n

Lightly toast the sourdough for about 2 minutes. Spread a generous amount of white bean smash on top of each toast and pile high with broccoli florets and stems. Drizzle with olive oil and fry for a few minutes until the broccoli is nicely browned.<\/p>\n

Finish with a final squeeze of pickled red onion and lemon juice.<\/p>\n

Baking Tomato and Lentil Pasta<\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>Max Le Manna’s tomato and lentil pasta is baked.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is my kind of cuisine. It’s about turning clutter into fall comfort food gold. Tomato sauce from last night? Stir the pasta with the canned lentils. That old loaf of bread? Toss with bread crumbs for topping. Then try mixing a spoonful of caper brine into the sauce along with the lentils. The salty taste makes you feel good and uses up what most people throw away.<\/p>\n

prep 5 minutes<\/strong>
cook 25 minutes<\/strong>
serve 4<\/strong><\/p>\n

sea \u200b\u200bsalt and pepper
350g short pasta<\/strong>Penne, rigatoni, conchiglie, etc.
500ml remaining tomato sauce<\/strong>
400 g tin-cooked lentils<\/strong>Drain and rinse<\/p>\n

50 g fresh breadcrumbs<\/strong>Ideally, it’s homemade from stale bread.
2 tablespoons capers<\/strong>
2 tablespoons olive oil<\/strong>
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast<\/strong>or finely grated hard cheese (optional)<\/p>\n

Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)\/390F\/gas. 6. Boil salted water in a pan and boil the pasta for 3 minutes shorter than the instructions on the packet. Drain, reserving some of the pasta cooking water.<\/p>\n

Combine pasta, tomato sauce, and lentils in a large bowl and season to taste. If the sauce becomes too thick, dissolve in the reserved pasta water. Place the mixture in a baking dish.<\/p>\n

In a separate bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, capers, olive oil, and nutritional yeast (if using), then sprinkle over the pasta. Bake for 15 minutes until the top is golden and crisp. Serve straight from the plate with a green salad or whatever else you have in the fridge.<\/p>\n

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  • \n

    Max La Manna is a low-waste chef and author of You Can Cook This! Published by Ebury for \u00a322. To order a copy, visit guardianbookshop.com.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    aspirateEating with little or no waste isn’t about rules. It’s about rethinking old habits. Make a list of the foods you already have (I like to take pictures of my fridge and pantry before shopping), stick to the list and only buy what you need. Just remember to store them properly to ensure they last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1351,5352,51170,9771,51171,13895,51172,16903],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autumn-food-and-drink","category-food","category-food-waste","category-main-course","category-pasta","category-rice","category-toast","category-vegetarian-food-and-drink"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/umang.pk\/en_us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/umang.pk\/en_us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/umang.pk\/en_us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umang.pk\/en_us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umang.pk\/en_us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/umang.pk\/en_us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20518\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/umang.pk\/en_us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umang.pk\/en_us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umang.pk\/en_us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}